The Colts pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat the Chiefs the last time they met in the playoffs with Andrew Luck at quarterback, but neither Luck nor Colts head coach and playoff comeback royalty Frank Reich could find a way back at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday.
The Chiefs went up 17-0 in the first half and wound up 31-13 winners at the final whistle. That ended a Colts season that saw low preseason expectations look accurate when the team went 1-5 to open the year. They’d only lose one more game over the rest of the regular season, however, and Reich said after the game that he was “proud of the journey” his team took this season.
Reich said the team learned things “that will stick with us” along the way and they found strong foundational pieces in rookie guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard to go with a resurgent Andrew Luck. Those things fell short on Saturday with Reich saying the Chiefs outplayed and outcoached his team across the board.
With nine more draft picks and voluminous cap space this offseason, the hope in Indianapolis is that the lessons of this year will lead to an even longer journey next time.